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Sy Mann Sy (* 1920 in Binghamton, NY) was a pianist, composer, and arranger. Sy, who had perfect pitch, began playing the piano at the age of six. At thirteen he was the youngest sideman in the entertainment bands of the Catskill Mountains, where he learned arranging and backing skills. In 1938 he began studying music at New York University, which he interrupted due to the war. He served four years in the US Army. After returning to New York, he completed his bachelor's degree before touring with the big bands of Benny Goodman and Alvino Rey.   From 1949 he worked as a studio musician, first for radio station WNEW, where he worked on The Bob Haymes Show and arranged the station's signature tune. In 1953 he moved to the Columbia Broadcasting System, where he worked for many years as a sideman and bandleader on the Arthur Godfrey Show. He also acted on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour and on various soap operas and variety shows in the 1950s and 1960s.   Mann went on to record with many pop and jazz artists including Guy Mitchell, Melanie Safka, Lew Davies, Barbra Streisand, Lionel Hampton, Ruth Brown and Dick Hyman. In 1960 he participated in the big band album Percussive Jazz. In 1969 he recorded what is probably the first Christmas album with the Moog synthesizer, Switched-On Santa, for the cheap label Pickwick. He was also active in the production of jingles and composed music for American Airlines and Polaroid. Mann continued his musical activities after moving to Florida in the late 1970s, where he played in the Ted Martin Orchestra. Sy died in 2001.   from Wikipedia

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